Beverly Hills man gets 137 years for role in arson ring

10:03 PM,
May 8, 2013

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The leader of an arson ring was sentenced today to 137 years in prison for running a scheme that involved burning down houses and businesses for money, scamming more than $5 million from insurance companies through phony claims.

Ali Darwich, 31, of Beverly Hills was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland, who oversaw his trial that ended in December with him convicted of 33 counts of wire and mail fraud, arson and money laundering.

According to evidence presented at trial, the scheme started in 2005, when Darwich and eight codefendants committed a rash of arsons and then ...